The Courtyard House: The Little Red Devil Returning from the Peninsula

When the first rain of August fell, the No. 1 passage of Chiyabao was not completely dry.

Heavy vehicles passed by, leaving tracks filled with black water. The engineers filled them in every day, only to sink in again the next day. The guns in the surrender zone had been distributed to storage, the wounded were still being moved to Shiyao, and the seals on three houses had been blown open by the wind; the takeover team had re-applied the seals.

The end of the battle does not mean that everyone can rest.

Zhao Gang moved the four ledgers to the yard to air them. The paper had been damp, the corners were curled, and as soon as the sun came out, it emitted a musty smell of old ink. Several staff officers covered the corners of the paper with small stones and checked the names by unit.

The highest number of battle systems reached 108,600.

There are 21,800 officially employed staff.

The training consisted of 27,600 people.

Local transportation and sanitation: 25,800.

There are 33,400 friendly neighbors.

The total for the four columns is 108,600. This number did not become a new unit designation, nor did it include friendly and local personnel in the Independent Regiment.

Some suggested officially changing the names of each direction to divisions and brigades, to avoid having to write "temporary battle group" when mobilizing troops.

Zhao Weiguo returned the suggestion.

"The official designation is still Independent Regiment, with subordinate units down to the battalion level. Operational groups are organized according to missions, and disband after the mission is completed. Having more people doesn't automatically create a higher rank on paper."

Zhao Gang added a sentence.

"Our neighbors have their own unit numbers, personnel, and affiliations. If you're going to change someone's name, you should first ask if they accept it."

The person who suggested the paper fold back did not mention it again.

The training program began with the unit with the largest number of vacancies.

The battalion suffered heavy casualties and received many new recruits. The newly compiled training schedule required 30% veterans to mentor 70% new recruits. Each squad was first tested on their ability to load ammunition, eject spent cartridges, lie prone, and count off, before practicing night marches, digging fortifications, and carrying the wounded. Marksmanship was given a later priority; squads that did not meet the required standards were not allowed to participate in live-fire exercises.

Old Zhou frowned when he saw "30% veterans".

"Should I also go find 30%? Some companies in the First Battalion can't even gather 20% of the veterans' company."

"Then let's take the tape apart," Zhao Gang said. "The veterans will be instructors first; there's no rush to fill the platoons and squads."

"What if we've finished teaching, but then war breaks out?"

"Going into battle before you've taught them will only lead to your quicker demise when the war comes."

Old Zhou didn't argue anymore. He divided the veterans who could still walk into several groups, leading them in exercises during the day and teaching the new recruits about equipment at night. One veteran was missing two fingers on his right hand and could no longer be a machine gunner, so he was responsible for teaching them how to load ammunition and clear jams. Another veteran had suffered artillery blast in his ear and was slow to hear commands, so he was reassigned to teaching them how to dig bunkers and survey the terrain.

The wounded soldiers did not immediately return to their units after leaving their hospital beds.

The health form has four columns: eligible to return to original post, eligible for light duties, continue recuperation, and permanent attrition. Those with leg injuries who can walk should walk three kilometers first, then check for swelling. Those injured by artillery blast should learn commands in a quiet place. Those with chest or abdominal injuries should only do light work after discharge; they cannot use the excuse "I request to return to the unit" to skip follow-up examinations.

A young soldier walked the fastest in the three-kilometer test, but when he returned to the starting point, his trouser legs were covered in blood. He said it didn't hurt. The medic cut off the bandages and admitted him back to the hospital.

Old Zhou was cursing from the side.

Who did you outrun?

The young soldier remained silent, still clutching his application to rejoin the unit.

"I'm applying to stay," Zhao Gang said. "The person should go back and recuperate first."

The Third Battalion and the Battalion where the monks were located were not immediately replenished.

Duan Peng first reported the vacancies for commanding officers, communications personnel, engineers, and machine gunners. The vacancies had clearly defined positions, and candidates would be assessed according to those positions. The situation was more complicated with the monks; having dabbled in special operations, reconnaissance, and regular infantry missions a few times, the new recruits often thought that simply being able to scale walls was enough to get into the special operations group.

The monk led the people who had registered to a mud wall.

"Turn it over."

More than a dozen people climbed over.

"Bring back the bucket from outside the wall. Don't spill water, and don't step on the white lines along the wall."

When they returned, only a few people remained, and there was still water in the bucket.

The monk didn't praise them; instead, he had them blindfolded and listen for footsteps, identify directions, and remember the location of the door bolt. One of the fastest recruits got the password wrong and was immediately crossed off the list.

"They're quick-witted but lack common sense; I wouldn't dare bring them along."

The person whose application was crossed out blushed to his neck and came back to apply again the next day. The monk told him to go back to the regular company to practice squad coordination first, without giving him special treatment.

The ordnance factory was simultaneously processing the faulty parts brought back from Chiyabao.

After inspections of the radiators, tires, and steering systems, both armored vehicles were deemed only suitable for short-distance use. The vehicle with the damaged radiator had its patch replaced, but water still leaked after the engine was warmed up; the vehicle with the cracked tires had inner linings added, but the cracks continued to widen during gravel road testing, rendering it unsuitable for long-distance driving.

After replacing the clutch friction plates on the third vehicle, a no-load test was conducted. The vehicle could start, but it still slipped when climbing hills. Zhao Tieshan crossed out the words "repaired" and changed it to "test failed."

The driver felt sorry for the newly replaced friction pads.

"Maybe one more adjustment will do."

"It might not be able to be recorded in the vehicle condition report," Zhao Tieshan said. "We'll take it apart to measure the wear and tear, and then check the springs."

Three signs were erected outside the repair shed.

Short-range is available.

Short-distance use is possible, but water replenishment is required.

The test failed.

None of them were written perfectly.

The decommissioned infantry gun had its outriggers and connecting pins replaced. The first shot fired correctly, the second shot caused the gun mount to shift, and the third shot failed to fire. The gun crew remeasured the wheel track on the ground and discovered that the mounting holes had widened due to stress.

"Is it fixed?" the gunner asked.

Zhao Tieshan returned the acceptance form to him.

"It doesn't matter if it makes a sound. Reinforce it and recalibrate it."

The military industrial zone can only provide repair parts, reloaded ammunition, tire patches, and small batches of prototypes. The machines need to be scheduled, the steel is produced in batches, and no one can directly obtain finished products from the system.

The system's auxiliary interface only organizes fault records, material parameters, and test risks when Zhao Weiguo explicitly inquires. It does not sign acceptance forms for the repair team, nor does it change failed tests to pass.

Half of autumn has passed, and the training schedule has only just moved from individual drills to squad-level live-fire exercises.

The battalion assigned new recruits to veteran squads. Each squad first practiced shooting at short-range fixed targets, and then practiced changing shooting positions. During the first live-fire assessment, some people forgot to report the number of rounds as soon as they heard the gunshot, and some people only realized that their spare magazines were not full after they finished firing.

Old Zhou called the two men aside, without scolding or beating them, and made them disassemble and reassemble empty magazines twenty times, then go and register for the ammunition clerk for a day.

"After the gunshot, your mind goes blank; no matter how fast your hands are, it's useless."

In the second assessment, both of them passed the minimum requirement, but they were not promoted to machine gunners as a result.

Local transportation and sanitation personnel are also subject to assessment.

The drivers practiced driving through key points at night without lights, the stretcher team practiced switching shoulders on narrow roads, and the medics practiced injury tags and handover procedures. The bridge team rearranged the roads using traffic records from the Chiyabao No. 1 passage, staggering the time slots for heavy vehicles, light vehicles, and stretchers.

Friendly unit training was conducted separately, with only exchanges of artillery-infantry coordination, communication frequencies, and casualty handover issues. The independent regiment did not handle personnel matters for them, nor did it include friendly unit performance evaluations in the unit's expansion.

In September, a full-scale rear evacuation drill was conducted.

The drill did not involve firing blanks; instead, a group of simulated wounded were carried out from each of the three forward evacuation points. Some of the people on the stretchers had leg injuries, while others had chest or abdominal injuries. The injury tags were sealed in envelopes beforehand and were only removed upon arrival at the medical station.

The first round was chaotic.

A grain truck took the wrong route and blocked the stretcher-carrying area. Two new recruits carrying the stretcher saw the truck and went around it along the ditch, simulating a wounded soldier sliding halfway down the stretcher. The medic stopped the drill and re-secured the ropes.

The driver said the road sign had been blown down by the wind. The bridge construction team went to check, and the wooden sign was indeed upside down, but the nails were old. The responsibility was divided into two parts: the road sign wasn't securely fixed, and the driver hadn't checked the route before entering the fork in the road. No one tried to link the two issues together with a simple "poor coordination."

In the second round, the grain carts and stretchers were staggered, and the wounded arrived within the stipulated time. Zhao Gang still didn't write "excellent," only "passed."

In October, nighttime communications were investigated again.

At the same time, the main lines at all three campsites lost power, requiring restoration to be done using backup lines, flag signals, and couriers. Someone, in an attempt to speed things up, used an unregistered frequency, colliding with a neighboring radio station. Both sides heard only partial commands, neither able to hear the whole thing.

The communications department recorded the frequency conflict in the fault log and reallocated the time slots. Representatives from neighboring units took copies back to their own units to handle the situation. Neither side was placed under the command of the other simply because of the joint exercise.

The military outposts did not only practice distributing rations.

Grain bags were separated into dry, damp, and moldy categories; medicines were inspected according to expiration dates and seals; and repair parts were packed by vehicle type. During one spot check, tire patches for an armored vehicle were found inside an artillery toolbox, and it took a long time to retrieve them. The materials clerk was reprimanded, the box was repainted, and a verification section was added for the handover personnel.

In October, Zhao Weiguo turned eighteen.

There was no banquet on his birthday. Zhao Gang brought two boiled eggs from the cafeteria; one of them had a cracked shell, and salt water had seeped in, making it bitter and salty.

"What were you doing at eighteen after you finished attacking Chiya Fortress at seventeen?" Zhao Gang asked.

Zhao Weiguo finished eating the salted egg.

"Get the car fixed first."

That's it?

"Make sure you see the roads in Taiyuan clearly again."

The small bronze star remained sewn inside the left collar tab. It did not become a medal, nor did it appear in the birth record.

In November, railway transport to Taiyuan began to increase.

Gardenia brought the train schedule. Coal car services were reduced, while mixed-unit cars and military flatcars were increased. Several trains heading towards Beiping also had irregular schedules; the cargo was unknown, but the number of carriages could be confirmed.

Zhao Weiguo categorized the Taiyuan Railway, Beiping trains, and warehouses along the line into three categories: black, blue, and white. Confirmed train numbers were placed in the black category, possible troop movements in the blue category, and goods and their destinations in the white category.

The system did not provide an answer for the next battle, but only listed the dispatch windows based on the existing railway distance and number of vehicles.

During the December review, the four-column general ledger changed from 108,600 to 108,400.

The changes stemmed from the transfer of neighboring staff and the withdrawal of patients. The number of officially employed personnel did not increase or decrease to a more favorable whole number, and those undergoing training were not automatically promoted to permanent positions. Each item has a destination and a confirmation.

Zhao Gang wrote the year-end figures on the first page of the new book.

"One hundred and eight thousand four hundred."

He then meticulously reviewed each of the two hundred fewer people. Those who had been transferred had receipts from headquarters, and those who had withdrawn from treatment had health assessments; the lists matched the totals. No one, in an attempt to save the 108,600, left those who had already left on paper.

Those who passed the assessment in the training team were not officially transferred to the staff that same day. First, they checked the vacancies, then whether the unit could accept them. If a squad was short of communications soldiers, they couldn't fill the vacancy with three regular infantrymen; if a company commander hadn't been appointed yet, adding more people would only lengthen the roster.

Zhao Weiguo drew three layers of lines around Taiyuan.

The first layer consists of railways, bridges, and telephones.

The second layer consists of granaries, artillery positions, and the outer perimeter of the county town.

The third level is the area under the jurisdiction of the city.

"Which floor should we work on first?" Zhao Gang asked.

"Let's look at the car first."

The autumn wind outside the window has passed, and a light snow has fallen in the mountains.

Trains heading towards Taiyuan are becoming more frequent.

Zhao Weiguo pulled out the train schedule from his black zipper and drew a line under the latest military flatcar. This was already the seventh train this week.

He turned to Zhizi and said something.

"Starting tomorrow, record every single train heading towards Taiyuan."